Category Archives: Engagements

Our New Location | There’s a new photographer in town

Posted in Boudoir "Girly" Sessions, Engagements, Family, Personal, press, Vendors, Weddings on

We are so exited to be sharing this with all of you.  We have finally found a new place to call home (well at least our photo home).  It is located in downtown Campbell on a block I swear is the littlest western town in the west.  The charm of this old saloon just screamed fun at me and I couldn’t resist the gracious offer given to me by Deanna Graham to share her photography haven.  I just thought I would give you a sneak peak. I’ve hardly moved in but I have a couple of prints up and a key. You have to start somewhere right?  Many new things are in store for this wonderful space and who knows what it will resemble in the next month or two.  I am above thrilled on this new adventure and can’t wait to open it’s doors and welcome you in.  In fact, I hope you’ll be able to belly up to the bar for a Sarsaparillo and a good chat soon.  I’ll keep you posted so stay tuned for updates.

Our new address is 145 Dillon #A in Campbell, CA

*disclaimer dancing girls, card games, and shoot outs will cost extra :)

 

Engagement Photography Session| Fawn and Greg’s California small town adventure

Posted in Engagements on

We had a beautiful day as we headed to a small almost deserted town outside of Sacramento. It was the cutest little China town I think I’ve ever seen. It was really close to walking back in time.  Now it is home to a famous bar (wish I would of paid attention to the name) a few stores, and random living quarters for artist and more.  Along the way we stopped at a corn processing plant to do wardrobe and make up and really fascinated the guy who owned the place.  He was blown away by the hair, make-up, and effort that went in to a shoot.  But he was so sweet to let us use the shade that his place provided.  It was a very calm and relaxing atmosphere and where we learned the difference between feeder corn and human corn ;) .

Fawn and Greg were great and had such a great attitude towards their session.  There positive energy made working with them so much fun and I can’t wait to shoot their wedding in November.  We had a special little guest affectionately called “Beast” participate in their shoot. The whole 2 pounds of her kept us on our toes all day long.  She was too cute for words.  Thanks to the fabulous styling and wardrobe by Tia Reagan that helped pull this shoot together, and to Fawn and Greg who were willing to have fun!  Enjoy looking at their photos and don’t forget to give them a shout out below so they know you’ve visited.

The Man I Was Going to Marry!

Posted in Engagements, Family, Personal, Weddings on

I find it ironic that I ended working in the wedding industry as an adult.  When I went in to photography I had visions of shooting for Sports Illustrated, Vanity Fair, and National Geographic traveling the world with my camera and vision.  But as I progressed in my craft I found out that I really loved working with people up close and personal.  Not to just snap them from a distance but to really get to know them, to truly capture them and the moments they hold dear.  Creating beautiful images whether it was a portrait or a stolen moment  for  people has been more rewarding then I ever imagined. I thought I just wanted to be a photographer and found out later that I love telling stories with my images.

Now that I look back at my beginnings it only makes sense and somewhat like my destiny.  Being the youngest of 6 and much younger then the previous 5, some of my earliest memories our weddings.  By the time I was eleven I had on my resume flower girl 2 times, junior bridesmaid, and maid of honor.   At my house getting married was the hot topic for years.

Right after the holidays this year I had a personal project that I just wanted to finish. It was one of the things that just kept gnawing at me so I put a hold on everything til it was done.  I have a huge armoir full of scrapebooking supplies, photos, and keepsakes.  All I wanted to do was get it organized.  Seemed like a simple enough task that lasted over a week.  It sounds like a lot of work which it was (hence the lack of blog post)  but it took me on a magical journey of reflection and the realization of why photos and cards are so precious to me.

Several things grabbed my attention from my own wedding photos, my kids babies pictures, and misc photos of good times. But, two of my favorite things that I discovered during my renovation of the closet were a birthday card and the photo posted in this blog. It was an old birthday card that my father had sent me, in fact it was the last one he gave me before he died. What was so coincidental  that I found it and read it days after my  birthday. What a smile it brought to my face. Second, was this photo of Jack.  Yes I know I know his name was Jack and I was determined I was going to marry him.  I was all of five and I laugh because his wife is sitting to the left of him in the photo.  He gave me that dog for my birthday and it was one of my most prized possessions.  But by the age of 5 I was looking for a husband because that is just what people did in my family.  Weddings were a way of life and still are in the Johns clan.  So before I even knew it weddings were a part of me, capturing memories ingrained.

So after I found this photo how could I not go get my wedding pictures and look over them.  I’ve been happily married to a wonderful man for over 15  years.  These photos are some of my most precious things on the planet. One of my favorite photos of our day isn’t of my husband and me but one of my husband, my dad, and his dad sitting at the end of the reception with their ties off just sitting and talking-it’s priceless.  So thankful that someone was there to tell my story.  Since those photos were taken on that beautiful day my grandfather, dad, and a nephew have all passed away.  Yes, we’ve added new members to the family and it keeps growing as more marriages happen (And yes I’m usually the photographer).  But I can’t help but cherish the treasures I found in that armoir.

You might believe this last statement might be because I am a photographer- It’s not.  I believe it because I’m a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, and a sentimental and romantic fool .  Treasure your photos because in years to come they help relive so many wonderful things. Get them off your computers! Put them in frames, books, or boxes.  But have hard copies of them somewhere for you to touch and to come across once in a while. (especially if your computer or drive crashes :) )  On special days make sure you have someone that can tell your story, capture your moments, and give you treasures to hold on too.  Anyone can take a photo but how many people can tell a story with that photo and capture it beautifully?

Its all All put together Martha Stewart like.  Labels and boxes for everyone.

The Couple’s Musical | Photography session with a ton of instruments

Posted in Engagements, musicians and models on

We had quite a little adventure in downtown San Jose with Katie and Matt’s photography session.   As I talked with Katie about their session and what would make it unique to them I found out they are both professional musicians.  In fact, at the time of the shoot,  both were performing for San Francisco’s run of “Wicked” and it was in it’s final days.  As we chatted I found out that between the two of them they played like 20 different insturments and they wanted to incorporate them in to their shoot.  I  had been brewing with an idea about a piano and to was so pleased when I found out that they both played.  So the wheels started turning and this is what we created.  I love how we incorporated their love for each with their passion for music.  This couple is easy going, fun-loving, and a little quirky giving their photos a magical and fun twist.

When we did the sequence shots we had so much fun.  The best part was how many people would just walk through the set while were shooting instead of walking around us.  Others would stop and ask if they were a band, or were we having a garage sale,  or just wanted to know if they were jamming and could they join in.  My favorite was this guy showed up on his bicycle with a a big conga drum attached to his handle bars already to play. In the shots below was a guys dog just walking by.  We laughed so hard because we were putting this ensemble together and said “Wouldn’t it be great if we had a dog  in it?”  Seconds later around the corner came “bear” the doggie pictured below.  It was perfect.  To see more from their session click here and please leave them some love below so they know you were here. 

Michael and Casie |Engagement/Elopement photos part two

Posted in elopement, Engagements, Weddings on

Like I mentioned on their earlier post they eloped at lunch.  I asked “Casie what did you wear?” and she said ” my jeans”.  With Michael shipping off for Korea there wasn’t alot of time to get a wedding planned and they did what many people in the armed services do-eloped.  Many of us in the family really wanted them to have some wedding photos and we came up with the following idea.  Little did I know how hard it would be to really photograph a couple in a rowboat but it was a good time.  If it wasn’t for the sun breaking out for the last 15 minutes of the day we wouldn’t of gotten these images.  Thank you sunshine and my wonderful cousin who had the rowboat at his home.    What is funny about some of these photos is my cousin is either sitting in the boat or holding on to it so they didn’t flip over.  It was quite an adventure but it turned out to be a fabulous day, and no everyone ended up dry at the end of the day.

And behind the scenes one of my favorite crew members ever.  Cousin Brian you make a fantastic best boy.